Outdoor planting of hardy cyclamen

Poinsettia in Jacksonville, FL landscape

If you live in U.S. hardiness zones 3-7, December weather is ordinarily is too frigid to grow poinsettias and cyclamen outdoors. Southeastern U.S. cities like Charleston, SC, Savannah, GA, and northern parts of FL like Jacksonville, Tampa and Orlando enjoy mild December temperatures 50 º F. lies in zone 8 as well as most of the Dallas TX.

Whether planted in front of a shopping center, a restaurant, or your home, these brightly colored plants should put you into the holiday spirit. Poinsettias are native to Mexico (USDA hardiness zones 9 to 11. If poinsettias and cyclamens are planted nearby a building foundation, they often enjoy a micro-environment protection of 4-5 º F.

Hardy cyclamen (Cyclamen spp.) are native to the Mediterranean region and flowers are available in  a wide range of white and pink shades. Breeders have developed several plant sizes ranging from small, medium and large. Some varieties are fragrant. At Black Friday sales around Thanksgiving, poinsettias may sell for less than $2.00 at the big box stores.

Here are some basic care tips for outdoor care:

• Place poinsettias and cyclamens in bright natural light to morning only sunlight.
• Keep plants away from high winds.
• Brightly colored poinsettia bracts should remain fresh if outdoor temperatures do not exceed 80 º F or drop below 50 º F in November and December.
• Water  plants thoroughly weekly if set bare-root in planter beds or every 3-4 days in pots if natural rainfall is low. Never leave plants sitting in water over several hours.
• Feed plants every 2-3 week with a water soluble fertilizer such as Schultz™ and Miracle-Gro™ at recommended rates for house plants.
• Plant quality will begin to decline in early January. You may opt to discard plants or grow them on for their foliage.